Central Banks
ECB raises inflation forecast
GERMANY - The European Central Bank on Thursday raised its projection for inflation this year, underlining pessimism about prices that suggests the bank may raise interest rates later this year.
IMF mission arrives in Argentina
ARGENTINA - An International Monetary Fund mission landed in Argentina on Thursday to discuss the possibility of resuming billions of dollars in credit after a six-month freeze, which could open the door to other aid sources and help stop contagion to…
BoJ keeps monetary policy unchanged
JAPAN - Japan's central bank left its monetary policy unchanged Wednesday, sticking to its stance of freeing up cash to circulate through the financial system, reports Dow Jones.
Korean governor hints at rate rises
KOREA - Bank of Korea governor Park Seung signalled on Wednesday that more interest rate rises might be in the pipeline as he stressed the need to curb price pressures in a rapidly expanding economy.
Vote of confidence for Brazil governor
BRAZIL - The Brazilian government's candidate for presidential elections, Jose Serra, said on Tuesday he hopes to keep Arminio Fraga as president of the central bank if he wins the October vote.
Irish growth rate set to dip says CB
IRELAND - Economic growth in Ireland is set to halve in 2002, but next year should see an upturn, according to the country's central bank.
Dutch central bank move supports gold
NETHERLANDS - Jan Lamers of the Netherlands Bank is the first central banker to confirm that the volume of gold being lent to the market has started to decline.
Polish governor's bodyguards removed
ARTICLE - The relationship between the government and central bank in Poland continues to deteriorate. A full apology from the government is in order over the latest episode, argues an editorial in the Warsaw Business Journal.
Speech by Tony Latter, HKMA, 12 June
SPEECH- Tony Latter, deputy chief executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority on Hong Kong's currency board today and the unexpected challenge of deflation. Have central banks become a victim of their own success?
Speech by Jaime Caruana, B of Spain, 24 April
SPEECH - Speech by Jaime Caruana, governor of the Bank of Spain, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, on asset price bubbles and the implications for monetary, regulatory and international policies.
Speech by Eugenio Domingo Solans, ECB, 11 June
SPEECH - Eugenio Domingo Solans, member of the Governing Council and Executive Board of the ECB, gave a speech titled 'Exchange rate policies in the accession process' to a conference in Tallinn on 'Alternative Exchange Rate Regimes in the Globalised…
Gold in the IMF: A Factsheet
FACTSHEET - The IMF has published a factsheet detailing what its gold holdings are, how it acquired them, what its policy is on gold, and how and when it has used its gold in the past.
IMF Survey, Vol. 31, No. 11, 10 June
SURVEY - The latest fortnightly issue of the IMF Survey includes articles on world military spending, Independent East Timor, the pros and cons of tax incentives, financial development and economic growth, as well as interviews with John Shoven on US…
Preventing country crises and corporate failures
LETTER - The most recent 'Economic Letter' published on the San Francisco Fed's website concerns 'Country Crises and Corporate Failures: Lessons for Prevention and Management?', by Reuven Glick of the Center for Pacific Basin Monetary and Economic…
Breather won by Bank Indonesia on $1.3bn loans
INDONESIA - Bank Indonesia has reached a rescheduling agreement with the London Club of commercial creditors to extend the repayment period of loans worth around $300 million to 17.5 years, while other loans worth $1 billion will be extended for 10…
Reform of Taiwan cb board may improve independence
TAIWAN - Taiwan's cabinet has submitted a reform plan for the board of directors at the Central Bank of China, which focuses on the bank's independent status. Once the amendment is passed by the legislature, the central bank will maintain its supervisory…
BOK considers redenomination of currency
KOREA - The Bank of Korea is studying ways to reform the present currency unit system by issuing new won notes and coins, in a move to re-denominate the won downward and upgrade its value. This will involve shaving one or two zeros off the won's face…
Egypt cb opens new check clearing house
EGYPT - The new electronic Cairo Clearing House at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) was inaugurated yesterday. Its services will be available to banks nationwide and its computerized system will be capable of clearing up to 100,000 cheques a day.
Private sector consensus on sov debt restructuring
PRESS RELEASE - A joint press release issued by private sector financial industry leaders announces a consensus inspired by market-based principles on crisis management and sovereign debt restructuring, June 11.
Buying back long-dated bonds way forward for Japan
LETTER - Letter by Professor Tim Congdon published in the Financial Times on 10 June in response to an editorial by Sir Samuel Brittan, which in turn had commented on Prof Congdon's original article in Central Banking journal, 'What is to be done about…
Central banks should heed asset inflation
LETTER - Anthony H. Rowley, a contributor to Central Banking journal, argues in a letter published in the Financial Times on 10 June that central banks should pay more attention to asset inflation when conducting monetary policy.
Bureaucrats compete to replace RBI dep governor
INDIA - There is stiff competition to take the place of the outgoing deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Dr Y. V. Reddy. According to the finance ministry, two senior bureaucrats are jockeying to control this key post which involves…
Commercial banker made dep chairman of Kazakh cb
KAZAKHSTAN - A new deputy chairman has been appointed to the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Anvar Saydenov, who is 41, was appointed by Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on the recommendation of the central bank.
Iran's cb to issue bonds despite US sanctions
IRAN - The Central Bank of Iran still plans to issue its first international bond, according to its governor, Mohsen Nourbakhsh. This is despite the withdrawal of Iran's debt rating by Moody's.